Lovely Doll
by Spunky0ne
Summary: After being abducted, then rescued by Renji and Tetsuya, Byakuya begins to act strangely. His exploits include secret visits to the incarcerated Aizen Sousuke. Disbelieved by the Central 46 guards when he confronts them about what Byakuya is doing, Aizen tries to turn the situation to his advantage. Aizen/Bya mpreg
1. Called

**Lovely Doll**

**(An Aizen/Byakuya love story for SlytherinQueen020 :) Hope you love it in all of its wickedness!)**

**Chapter 1: Called**

Kuchiki Tetsuya came awake suddenly, his wide sapphire eyes blinking in the darkness and his sharp senses piqued. He worked his way free from the strong, tanned and tattooed arms of his red haired lover and slipped out of bed, moving on silent feet towards the open garden doors. A shiver of uncertainty passed through his slender body as he looked out into the night and found a tall, glowing pillar that appeared to have crashed down into the center of the gardens. He started to step forward, then gasped and whirled about as a hand came down on his shoulder.

"Renji!" he hissed, his heart pounding, "You scared the life out of me!"

"What's..." Renji began, but he was quickly hushed by a pale hand that covered his mouth.

"Look," Tetsuya whispered, pointing.

Renji's red-brown eyes followed Tetsuya's gesture, and widened as they took in the sight of the huge, white pillar.

"A Tenchuuren?" the redhead breathed, remembering the divine pillars that served as a vehicle for the Royal Guard, "Here? What the...?"

Tetsuya slipped out onto the walkway, then onto the grass, oblivious to the cold as he concealed himself within the bushes and Renji took up a position at his side.

"I wonder what's going on," the redhead mused, watching closely as a cloaked figure emerged from the pillar and started towards Byakuya's bedroom.

"No word was given that there would be a royal visitor," said Tetsuya, "But sometimes we are simply not told what they are about. They are a level above the noble class in the royal hierarchy. I assume this means that a royal edict was issued, but..."

He paused as the cloaked figure exited Byakuya's room, carrying the sleeping clan leader in his arms.

"What is he doing?" cried Renji, breaking free of the bushes, "Hey!"

"Renji, no!" Tetsuya gasped, following, "We are not allowed to interfere with them!"

The two young men slid to a stop as the person carrying Byakuya turned in their direction, and a bright flash erupted from the person's extended fingertips. Before the two stunned shinigamis could move, the odd light struck them, and Renji and Tetsuya collapsed, losing consciousness instantly. A second person emerged from the Tenchuuren and greeted the first.

"What should we do with them?" asked a male voice, emanating from the person carrying Byakuya.

"Leave them be," a feminine voice replied calmly, "They will remember nothing of this when they wake."

"Hmmm."

The man carried Byakuya into the Tenchuuren as his companion lifted a skeletal hand and touched the pillar. The pillar shimmered, then slowly shrank down to the size of a small toy. The woman's lips smiled as she picked up the shrunken pillar and slipped it into her pocket. She turned back for a moment, studying the two motionless forms on the ground, then turned her back on them and flash stepped away.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Ugh..." groaned Ichigo, moving sluggishly as Kisuke gently extracted himself from the younger man's snug embrace, "Where are you going? It's only four. What's going on?"

"A hell butterfly from Unohana taichou," the shopkeeper answered, yawning and swatting away the hell butterfly that had awakened him, "Something about Renji and Tetsuya being found unconscious in the gardens at Kuchiki Manor."

"Really?" Ichigo asked, coming fully awake at the mention of his friends, "Are they okay? What happened to them?"

"They were taken to the fourth division. Unohana taichou sent the hell butterfly to ask me to come in for a consult. You can tag along if you want. I know you'll want to check in with Rukia and see how Renji and Tetsuya are when we get there."

"Right," Ichigo agreed, climbing out of bed and looking around for his clothes.

"Allow me," Urahara said, grinning as he picked up his cane and touched the bottom to Ichigo's chest.

Ichigo's human body dropped to the ground and his shinigami form emerged, fully dressed in his shihakushou. Kisuke lifted Ichigo's body and deposited it back in the bed, before quickly dressing and then heading for the underground training area, with Ichigo at his side.

"What did they tell you?" Ichigo asked, his brown eyes intense with concern.

"Not much," Kisuke answered, leading him into the senkaimon, "Seems that Renji and Tetsuya were found by two guards on duty this morning, collapsed in the garden and unable to be roused. They had the clan healer take a look at them, but he couldn't determine what happened to them. So, Byakuya had them taken to the fourth and asked Unohana taichou to consult with me about it."

"Huh," mused the shinigami substitute, "That's weird. Byakuya asking for your help? I thought he was still kinda pissed over you and Yoruichi taking off together when Aizen set you up to be banished. I know he blamed you for Yoruichi disappearing."

"Yeah," Kisuke admitted, "And I don't really blame him for being upset. Despite what it looked like, he and Yoruichi were close when he was younger. After losing his parents, Yoruichi was the one who spent the most time with him. She trained him extensively in shunpo and hakudo. They were tight, even though he pretended to hate her."

"Ah."

"For him to ask specifically for my help suggests that he's really concerned about those two."

"I hope they're okay," said Ichigo, "Rukia's got to be a mess. She is really close to both Renji and Tetsuya."

"Yeah, well, don't worry. We'll get them sorted out."

The two went quiet then, their footsteps echoing dully as they continued on their way through the precipice world. They emerged out of the central senkaimon, then flash stepped to the fourth division. Kotetsu Isane met them at the front doors and guided them swiftly through the lobby, and down several hallways to an isolation room.

"We had to quarantine the two, as Unohana taichou wasn't sure if this was an illness, an injury or some kind of attack. She has examined them thoroughly and ordered blood and reiatsu panels, but nothing has come back from the lab yet."

"Kisuke!" Rukia exclaimed as she spotted them, "Ichigo! Thank goodness you're here."

"We came as soon as we got Unohana-san's message," said Ichigo.

He looked in the window at the two men who laid in the beds in the isolation room.

"How are they doing?" he asked.

Byakuya met his eyes solemnly.

"Their conditions are stable, but Unohana taichou cannot wake them," he reported.

"Can you tell me what happened?" asked Kisuke.

"We don't know," said Rukia.

"Two house guards sounded an alert, early this morning and informed us that they had found Renji and Tetsuya collapsed in the gardens," Byakuya explained, "They were cold and unresponsive. They are alive, but no one seems to be able to wake them. Oddly, they seem to have been in that place in the gardens through a shift change. As cold as they were, they had to have been there for some time. And they should have been discovered when the guard changed, but somehow weren't noticed by the guards going off or on duty that had to pass right by them."

"Well, that's definitely not normal," commented Kisuke, "Were there any visible injuries?"

"No," Byakuya went on, "Neither had any signs of injury or illness, and no one else was seen or sensed in the gardens except for the house guards."

"This just gets stranger and stranger," commented Rukia, looking in at her cousin and her best friend, "I just wish that they would wake up and tell us what happened."

"Hey," said Ichigo, slipping an arm around his distraught friend, "They're gonna be okay. They're not sick or badly hurt right? They're just asleep."

"But they won't wake up!" Rukia said worriedly, "Even Unohana taichou couldn't wake them up!"

"Well, then let's have a look, okay?" said Kisuke, following the fourth division fukutaichou into the room, where Unohana taichou waited.

"Ah, Urahara Kisuke," the healer greeted him, "Thank you for coming so quickly. As you saw, Kuchiki taichou and Rukia-chan are very concerned."

"And how about you, Unohana-san?" Kisuke asked, "What's your impression?"

The healer looked down at the two unconscious men, then back at Urahara.

"I believe that they were attacked," she said with certainty, "They were struck by some power that seems to confound our efforts to identify it."

"But they aren't in danger of dying?"

"I do not believe so," Unohana said, "but it is distressing that so much time has passed and they are still unconscious. And all of the usual methods of waking them have failed."

"And it makes a person wonder what they came across that they maybe weren't supposed to see."

"What do you mean?" asked Unohana.

"Well," said the shopkeeper, "They were hit with a non-lethal blast that knocked them out, but apparently, wasn't meant to kill them. This intruder, whoever it was, just wanted them quiet and out of the way for a while. But the questions is, what was that person doing while the boys here were napping on the lawn?"

He turned back to Byakuya, who had joined them in the room.

"What did the house guards have to say?" he asked the noble.

Byakuya shook his head.

"No one saw or sensed anyone suspicious in the house or gardens all night," he reported, "All check-ins were normal, all night long."

"And yet, these two guys were left, passed out on the grass and even the changing guards who walked right past them didn't notice them. That's either a pretty strong illusion type charm, or your house guards are alarmingly obtuse, Byakuya-san."

"Tetsuya, himself, heads the house security staff," Byakuya countered, "They are all powerful and highly capable officers. And as I also sensed nothing odd during the night, I do not think that they were remiss in their duties."

"Hmm," Kisuke mused, gazing at the noble for a moment.

He moved suddenly, shocking the unsuspecting noble with a flicker of kido, then catching him as he collapsed.

"What the hell?" yelled Ichigo, from where he and Rukia watched through the window, outside the room.

"Kisuke!" shouted Rukia, running into the room with Ichigo a step behind.

Unohana taichou turned a curious eye on the shopkeeper.

"I expect you have a reason for adding yet another unconscious person to my ward?" she asked in a surprisingly calm manner.

"Yeah," Kisuke chuckled, "Sorry about that. But it occurred to me that someone able to mess with such a highly capable security staff would probably be there for one thing..._him_. I think you should check Kuchiki taichou out and see if he's himself or just a pretty double."

"You think he may have been replaced?" asked the healer, "Why?"

"I don't know yet," Kisuke said, shaking his head and turning the noble's limp body over to a pair of healers who had rushed into the room, "But I would suggest running full panels and checking him out psychologically, just to be sure. It seems awfully suspicious that someone got the drop on a sharp guy like Tetsuya. Has anyone checked the Kuchiki archive to see if there was an entry during the time that Tetsuya and Renji were unconscious?"

"I don't know," said Unohana, "but I understand why you ask."

"Right," Kisuke said, nodding, "That's the _other_ possible target at Kuchiki Manor besides Byakuya-san, here. The Kuchiki family archive contains the most comprehensive history of Soul Society, along with a lot of interesting and some dangerous goodies in the vault there."

"Unfortunately," said Unohana, raising an eyebrow, "as you have knocked out the only person with access to the archive, we will have to wait until Byakuya-san wakes to check the archive records."

"Ah, you have a point there. Sorry about that."

"I will go and see to the blood and reiatsu tests on Kuchiki taichou while you have a look at the other two patients, here," Unohana said, following the healers carrying Byakuya out of the room.

"Thank you, Unohana-san," Kisuke said, nodding, "All right. Let's see what we have here."

The shopkeeper moved forward and leaned over Tetsuya's motionless form.

"A deep sleep. No REM activity," Kisuke mumbled, frowning, "I don't sense any foreign reiatsu, which means that if he was attacked, the attacker was on a level that we don't want to think about. Espada maybe or very high level shinigami. It would have to be to take these guys by surprise and knock them loopy."

He opened Tetsuya's yukata and studied his body carefully.

"No obvious signs of physical trauma. Had sex recently. Looks like Renji topped tonight."

"We didn't need to know that," Ichigo said dryly.

"Spirit centers are functioning normally. No sign of internal damage."

He paused for a moment, then snickered.

"What is it? What did you find?" demanded Rukia.

"Eh...maybe I'll just forget I saw that," chuckled Kisuke.

"Saw what?" asked Ichigo, "Kisuke...?"

"Looks like someone forgot to charge the pregnancy protection charm. Renji's little playmate, here, is carrying an extra!"

"What!" Rukia and Ichigo shouted.

"Whoa!" Ichigo went on, "He's a _guy_! How does that work?"

"Oh, right," laughed Kisuke, "You don't know. Noble male shinigamis are...a little _different_. You see, when the spirit king made them, he wanted to be sure that they would procreate...ahm...whether they got together with girls or other guys. So, when a noble male is taken by another male, his body forms a reiatsu chamber inside and captures the genetic material, then forms it into a reiatsu cluster. The cluster matures inside the shinigami's body for several months, then emerges through the abdominal wall and is born, then solidifies into shinigami form. The duration of the male pregnancy is generally shorter than a traditional pregnancy, and the only discomfort is while the abdominal wall loses some cohesion to allow the cluster to pass through. It's pretty interesting, really."

"Heh," chuckled Ichigo, smirking, "I wonder if 'Daddy Renji's' going to think so!"

"Shut up!" laughed Rukia, "Renji is head over heels in love with Tetsuya-san. He's going to be on top of the world. He's been working on Tetsuya-san to marry him, but Tetsuya-san was afraid to ask Nii-sama because there is still some disapproval amongst the elders when a clan member wants to marry a commoner."

"Well, they probably won't give these guys any trouble now," Kisuke mused, shaking his head and grinning.

He closed Tetsuya's yukata and moved on to Renji.

"Also in a deep sleep, no REM. No sign of physical injury."

Rukia and Ichigo exhanged amused glances.

"Had sex recently," they said together.

"How did you guess?" asked Kisuke, "And topped. Spirit centers are fine and functioning normally. I'm finding nothing that explains why these two are still out cold. Damn."

He started to say more, but stopped as Isane entered the room, carrying two medical charts.

"Unohana taichou thought that you should have a look at these while she finishes the tests being run on Kuchiki taichou."

"Great, thanks," said Kisuke, taking the charts and opening Tetsuya's, "Blood panel's normal. Reiatsu indicates a pregnancy, but is otherwise normal."

He paused and squinted at one test result, then quickly consulted Renji's chart.

"What is it?" asked Ichigo, "Did you find something?"

"Maybe," said the shopkeeper, "You see..."

He broke off as a low rumble went through the building and the division alarms began to ring.

"What the...!" Kisuke breathed.

The rest of his words were drowned out by the sound of a muted explosion.

Kisuke was out the door and down the hallway in a flash step, with Rukia, Ichigo and Isane on his heels. They slid to a stop outside an examination room that now had smoke pouring out of it. Unohana taichou and Hanatarou stood outside the room, staring into it in surprise.

"What happened?" asked Kisuke, "Was Byakuya-san in there?"

"No," said Unohana firmly, "The person that was in there was not Kuchiki taichou, nor even a shinigami."

"Then, what was it?" Kisuke asked, staring.

"I do not know," the healer confessed, "As soon as I began the tests, I sensed a flare of errant reiatsu, a dangerous surge of power. We had to evacuate the room. And whatever was in there, exploded and left only ash behind."

"Huh," said Kisuke, frowning more deeply, "Someone A, didn't want us to know Byakuya-san was missing and B, wanted to make sure that if we did find out, we couldn't figure out how he had been replaced."

"But where is Nii-sama!" cried Rukia, "If that wasn't him, then where is he?"

"Probably with the person who knocked out Renji and Tetsuya," Ichigo said angrily, "Damn it! How are we going to find him?"

"I don't know," Kisuke confessed, "But I think we have to start with what Renji-san and Tetsuya-san know."

"But how can we find out what they know if they won't wake up?" Rukia objected.

"I'll let Unohana taichou work on that," Kisuke said, turning towards the door, "I'm going to Kuchiki Manor to have a look around."

"You want me to come with you?" asked Ichigo.

"Naw, you stay here and keep Rukia-chan company. I've got this. I'll be back as soon as I see if there's any evidence to collect."

"Okay," Ichigo agreed, "But let us know what you find there, okay?"

"Sure thing."

Rukia and Ichigo watched as Kisuke left, then walked slowly back to Tetsuya and Renji's room. Both stopped short in the doorway, noting that Tetsuya was sitting up and looking around with a confused expression.

"R-rukia-chan?" he queried uncertainly, "What happened? How did I get here?"

He spotted Renji in the bed next to his and staggered to his feet, his face paling.

"Renji-san!" he cried, shaking the redhead urgently, "Renji-san, wake up!"

"Whoa, hey, take it easy!" Renji groaned drowsily, "What's all the racket?"

He blinked, then smiled up at Tetsuya.

"Are you all right?" Tetsuya asked worriedly.

"I'm fine,"' Renji assured him, "But how in the hell did we end up here? Weren't we at your place?"

"You guys passed out!" Rukia explained, "In the gardens. Don't you remember?"

Tetsuya frowned and shook his head.

"No," he confessed, "I only remember going to sleep next to Renji-san."

"That's all I remember too," said Renji, shaking his head to clear it, "What happened? How did we get here?"

"Someone broke into the manor and attacked you," Ichigo explained.

"What?" Tetsuya gasped, his blue eyes blazing.

"It gets worse," said Rukia, "We don't know who it was, but we do know one thing. They took Nii-sama!"


	2. Beloved Servant

**Chapter 2: Beloved Servant**

**(For SlytherinQueen020 and Sariniste! The midsummer Aizendream continues!)**

"Arigatou, Shutara," the soul king said quietly, standing at the foot of the large, soft bed and gazing down at the man sleeping there, "But I understand there was trouble?"

"Oh," said the lady guard, smiling, "It was nothing I couldn't handle. There were two witnesses to us taking him, but they will be out for a while, and will not remember anything. They will have no idea we were even there."

"I hope not. I was hoping to avoid unnecessary attention on this particular mission," the king explained, "Leave us now. I need to speak to Byakuya alone."

"Yes, my lord."

The soul king watched as the guardswoman left, then contemplated Byakuya's sleeping form before moving closer and gently bringing him back to wakefulness. Byakuya's eyes blinked slowly, then fluttered nervously for a moment, before taking in the handsome visage of the king and catching his breath in surprise.

"M-my lord?" he breathed, staring, "Is this...real? Am I still sleeping?"

The king smiled warmly.

"You are neither asleep anymore, nor dreaming, Byakuya," he said, laying a palm on the noble's soft cheek, "I have called you to me for a special purpose...a mission of great importance. But my attendant has left us some tea to enjoy while we talk. Try some. It will help to revive you a bit."

"But, how did I get here?" the noble asked, sitting up slowly, "I was asleep at home."

He looked down at himself and frowned.

"I am still in my nightclothes."

He noticed the somewhat hungry look in the king's strange eyes and felt an odd shiver pass through him.

"If I may, why have you called me here, my lord?" Byakuya asked, taking a sip of the tea, "You said it was a special task?"

The king's smile warmed.

"Yes," the monarch answered, "It is one that you have the specific qualities to complete successfully. In fact, when I created your soul, it was in response to the actions of another soul I created...one that started out in a promising way, but then went astray. And while it is not usually so distressing when a soul chooses a dark path, this particular soul was made with a unique purpose."

He closed his eyes for a moment, picturing the man in his mind, then opened them again and looked into Byakuya's curious eyes.

"You are familiar with the criminal, Aizen Sousuke?"

"Of course," Byakuya answered, tilting his head questioningly, "Everyone in the Seireitei is aware of his motives against you. He made them quite clear when he fought against us in the battle for Karkura Town."

"Yes, he did," The king agreed, fixing the noble in place with his powerful gaze and moving in closer, "He has said that he will continue to work against me, because he does not believe that I am capable of defending myself against him. But, he is about to be proven very, very wrong."

"But," Byakuya said, shifting uncomfortably, blushing and pulling his sleeping yukata more firmly closed, "Aizen Sousuke is in the prison. Surely, it would be easy enough to accomplish whatever you want. Why do you need me?"

"Why indeed?" the king said, smiling at him in a way that made his blush deepen, "Byakuya, you are well aware of the fact that Aizen has fused his soul with that of the hougyoku, ne?"

"Yes, it was in the report given to the taichous and witnessed by Kurosaki Ichigo and Urahara Kisuke."

"It is very difficult, though not completely impossible to separate one soul from another that has fused with it. However, your soul is very specially made. And you are able to separate Aizen Sousuke from the hougyoku, as others are not, because of this. This will be your task, Byakuya. You will go to Aizen Sousuke. You will engage him sexually, and slowly, over time, the hougyoku's power will seep into your body."

Byakuya's eyes widened in distress, and the hand that held his nightclothes closed trembled softly.

"M-my lord, you want me to...?"

"I know," the king said in a soothing and sympathetic tone, sliding an arm around the noble's slender shoulders, "It is not in your nature to act so scandalously, ne?"

"N-no..."

"And to be forced to join your lovely, celestial body with that dark, malevolent spirit is, well, truly repulsive, I know."

"I don't think I can..."

"Of course you can," the king said, his embrace sending odd shivers through the noble, "As I said, I made you for this task. Everything, Byakuya, _everything_ about you is designed for this. Your guileless face, those deep, beautiful eyes, that pleasing, sweet sakura scent and your soft skin. A great deal of artistry went into your making. And you will use that now to lure Aizen Sousuke into giving up the hougyoku to me!"

"But, will the artifact not affect me when I take its power into my body?" Byakuya asked, "And how will you remove it? And what happens then?"

"So many questions," the king purred in his ear, his breath making Byakuya's skin blush, "First things first, I must prepare your boy to receive the hougyoku."

"And that is done...?"

The king smiled in a way that made his flesh crawl, then moved forward, laying him slowly down on his back and opening his yukata.

"My lord!" Byakuya protested, "I don't know if I..."

"You belong to me, ne?" the king breathed in his ear, making his stomach quiver inside, "You are an obedient servant, and you will do _exactly_ what I have told you to do."

Despite his misgivings, Byakuya knew better than to question his king's orders. Instead, he laid quietly in the king's embrace as the monarch's golden eyes glared down at him and the king's fingers undressed him. The king leaned over the silent, somber-faced noble, admiring the beauty of the man and smirking as he considered how well-made he was, and how quickly he would undo the devilish, unrepentant rogue shinigami.

_You were supposed to be your king's lover and consort, Aizen Sousuke! You were given great beauty and outstanding power among the shinigamis. You were made deliciously different, fully unique, and how did you repay that kindness? You created the hougyoku to make you strong enough to overcome the one who made you. But once Byakuya returns and I devour him and the hougyoku within him, you will never again dream of being stronger than your king! I will eat you slowly and painfully. You will very much regret your actions. You will die with regret in your eyes and pouring out of your mouth!_

The king felt Byakuya flinch uncomfortably under his hands, and he realized that the flare of errant reiatsu around him was burning the noble's fine skin. He reined in his power, watching the look of pain drain from Byakuya's unnerved eyes, then lowered his lips to the noble's.

Byakuya held perfectly still as the king's mouth claimed his, fighting a turbulent heart, but determined to please his king. But even resolved to serve faithfully, he felt sick inside as the king's hands caressed his body possessively, as the man's invasive fingers entered him and began to prepare his body for their joining.

"Are you all right, Byakuya, dear?" the king asked sedately.

"I will be fine," the noble assured the king, his heart aching strangely and his body trembling at knowing what the monarch was about to do to him, "It is just that I have only ever been with Hisana. I have never been with a man before."

"I know," the king acknowledged, "But while I prime your body for your mission tonight, the flow of my reiatsu into your body will also educate you in exactly how to please that man. Remember, I created him. I know Aizen Sousuke in ways that no one else does. And once I have completed your preparations tonight, you will be able to anticipate him, to tease him, to lure him in. Like a lovely doll, you will give yourself into his arms and give him pleasure. And while you pleasure him, he will begin to feel the strength seep out of him. But, bound as he is, he will not be able to do anything as he is slowly and inexorably relieved of his power. You will take everything back that I gave him, and then you will return to me. For your sacrifice, I will reward you greatly upon your return, Byakuya. But lie still now. Close your eyes."

It was a relief to Byakuya that he no longer had to meet the king's powerful eyes directly, but as the monarch brushed his eyes closed and kissed him again, the noble felt a chill slice through him, a sense that something was very, very wrong with what was happening. The king, of course, had every right to demand what he wanted from the noble families, but he had always been a solemn, quiet and respectful monarch, preferring to allow his subjects to choose their own paths. He withheld his influence, except when it was needed to keep the careful balances in their worlds, never out of rages of emotions, but always with caution and foresight.

_For him to, not just have me reclaim Aizen's power, but to do this in such a way, while the man is bound and unable to resist. It...suggests a much more cruel soul than I know our king to be!_

_Something is wrong, but having no right to resist him, I cannot stop it!_

_Still, I must find a way to do something._

_But what?_

He was distracted out of his thoughts by the feeling of sharp nails biting into his skin. He felt the king's mouth fastening on his, and the flares of his power all around them. He groaned in distress as the monarch pushed his bare thighs apart and claimed his body in a hard thrust that forced the air out of his lungs in a cry of intense pain.

He wasn't sure what he expected in response, but his concern turned to outright fear as the king's mouth devoured his cry and quivered with lust at the sound. Barely giving the noble time to suck in another strained breath, he began to move, gripping Byakuya tightly and panting harshly into his ear as he used the stunned noble to pleasure himself.

_Why is he doing this? Did he say that this was how I would be prepared for my mission? I have never heard of anything like this...except perhaps, in the older myths, the ancient ones. There were beings of great power who did use sex to infuse and corrupt souls with their power, and send them to do horrid things against their will. But why would our king resort to such methods? Aizen is in our prisons. And certainly, he could openly send me to retrieve the hougyoku's power without all of this._

_I don't understand!_

"Move with me!" the king hissed in his ear, "You lie too still. You are too passive. I did not make you so beautiful to have you lie there like a mannequin. I know that you do not desire me right now, but your body will come to hunger for mine until it begins to writhe at just the thought of being touched by me!"

Again, it nagged at him that what the king described hearkened back to the ancient myths, the stories of struggles between the shingami lords and spiritual demons. And so unnerved by his worries, Byakuya let his eyes slide the slightest bit open, to view the man on top of him again. At the sight that met him, his body froze and his eyes flew open wide.

The king he remembered was gone, and Byakuya found himself in the grip of a glowing, demonic nightmare. The body on top of his was still rakishly lovely, his form perfectly sculpted, but toned in red and blazing with dangerous heat. Huge swells of power surrounded him and gathered in the area of his loins as he neared climax. His face was angular and coldly beautiful, but his golden eyes harbored the promise of deep cruelty and deadly hatred. He smiled wickedly as he realized that the noble had seen him.

"Ah, so defiant, aren't you?" he mused, sending a jolt through Byakuya that paralyzed him, "You just had to look, didn't you? Just like you couldn't even manage to follow the rules of the clan I gave you to lead, but defied them and married that peasant trash. You are the child of gods and kings, Byakuya! You do not belong in unworthy arms like that. And _that_ is why I made her die."

"Y-you...?"

"You realize, only now that it is too late. I was not your king, but a lone demon who survived the extermination many thousands of years ago. I laid in wait, until I saw the creation of Aizen Sousuke, and then, I changed the course of his life, turning him into the hateful, awful being that tried to destroy his own creator. Then, while the king deliberated over what to do with his wayward consort, I appeared to him and told him that I could destroy the hougyoku. He refused to entrust this to me, and so I devoured him and took his place, here. He had already made you, but I saw greater usefulness in you. And now, you will serve that greater purpose. Do not worry. I know that your noble heart could not bear the strain of this task, so you will be spared that weight. Sleep now, Byakuya! When you wake again, you will be home."

Byakuya felt the demon's body seize and felt the explosion inside him of wickedness so unbearable, he would have screamed if the ability to do so hadn't been taken. He reeled as that evil essence curled in his midsection, invading his heart and assaulting his inner core. The king read in his tormented eyes, how close he was to succumbing to the too powerful forces invading him, and invoked unconsciousness, sending his mind spinning into blackness.

"Your majesty," called a youthful, male voice from outside his door, "A messenger to see you, sir!"

The demon crawled off of Byakuya's plundered body, pausing for a moment to take a long lick at his sweat dampened flesh before letting his power swirl around him and returning his visage to that of the dead soul king. He got up from the bed and turned back to lay a blanket over the naked noble, then walked quietly to the door and opened it. He nodded to the messenger, who stood alongside his attendant.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Sir, Lady Shutara reports that the reigai we sent to replace Kuchiki Byakuya has been discovered."

"And?" the king said sedately.

"It self destructed, as programmed," the messenger went on, "Lady Shutara is confirming that she should employ the alternate method for his return, as suspicion has been aroused."

"Tell her to go ahead with the alternate plan. I will be finished..._consulting_ with him about his mission and have him ready to be removed from the spirit dimension in an hour."

"Very well, my lord, I will pass on the message."

"Thank you, Jun," the king said, smiling to himself as he closed the chamber door.

He turned back to the unconscious noble in his bed and sat down alongside him, admiring his pale, lovely form.

"It seems a crime to let that filth touch you," he mused, "But, do not worry. You will not suffer long before your mission is done and you will be relieved of the weight of living. But, before you go, let me infuse you with the strength you will need to see this through."

He leaned over the Kuchiki clan leader, laying a hand on his face and another over his breached heart, and let his demonic reiatsu flow into Byakuya's body for a time. He slowed the infusion gradually, stopping as the shinigami's body trembled with the strain of containing the power being sent into it. He took his time, then, bathing and dressing the noble, then laid him back in the bed and waited quietly for the royal guardswoman to arrive.

He was careful to mask his reiatsu thoroughly in her presence, and hurried her on her way, once she was in possession of the unconscious man, then he walked out onto his balcony and stood, looking into the royal gardens.

_Soon._

_Soon, I will have the power to overwhelm those five. I can stop pretending and use the hougyoku so that I can kill them all...the royal guard, Urahara Kisuke and Aizen Sousuke...the only ones left who can possibly oppose me._

XXXXXXXXXX

_Aizen Sousuke._

Aizen stirred and sucked in a long, slow breath, bringing himself out of the heavy drowse of boredom that came with being bound and incarcerated in the bowels of Central 46.

"Hougyoku," he whispered softly, "You haven't spoken to me in a long time."

_You proved to be unworthy to be my master, _the hougyoku acknowledged, _but that does not mean that you are wholly useless._

"I see," Aizen said, drawing another slow breath and running his one uncovered eye around the cell, "So, what is it that you wish of me? I am, as you see, unable to do much more than sit and talk. I have minimal ability to use my illusions."

_I am aware, but that is not why I spoke to you._

"Oh?"

_I sense danger approaching. A malevolent eye touched me and I felt the quickening of a heart more wicked than yours._

"More wicked than mine, you say?" repeated Aizen, "But, why does this matter? You and I are fused together, ne? No one knows a way to separate our souls and none can destroy us, so why do you fret?"

_I have forseen that the one who could kill us will wear an angel's face and will come to us soon. When it does, we must resist it, or it will kill us both!_

"But we are immortal."

_That immortality is only in this world. We are not truly immortal, it is just that only another transcendent can kill us. The one who comes, bears transcendent power._

"But," Aizen said dulcetly, his lips quirking, "It will have to remove us to the spirit dimension to claim us, ne?"

_I believe so, but it would be dangerous to assume._

"Still, to be freed of this place would be a relief, and we can certainly resist whoever this is...that is, if you will work with me and lend me your power."

_You are not worthy of my power, _the hougyoku said mockingly.

"But _you_ are going to need me to protect you form whatever that _thing_ pursuing you decides to do. Think carefully before you refuse me, Hougyoku."

The spirit within the hougyoku went silent, then, leaving Aizen gazing quietly into the darkness, his heart, for the first time in a long time, hopeful.

_Come then, challenge me, whoever you are. _

_I look forward to it. _

_I will annihilate you._

_I will annihilate you and I will be free again!_


End file.
